July 8, 2010 -
When a production wants to add authenticity to a scene depicting the FDNY, they know to reach out to the department itself. Frank Gribbon, the FDNY’s deputy commissioner of public information, has been overseeing the agency’s work with the film and television industry since 2002.

During his tenure, there has been a steady interest by filmmakers and videographers in the Fire Department, specifically in its greatest resource - the dedicated men and women who protect and serve New Yorkers. From fictional TV series and feature films to serious documentaries, the industry has been assisted in myriad ways: from small parts in “Law & Order” episodes, TV series such as “Rescue Me” and “Third Watch” that revolve around firefighting and EMS work, feature-length films like Chuck & Larry, to serious documentaries that focus on the exciting life-saving work of fire and EMS professionals.

Individual requests span the entire spectrum of industry needs: costume (protective firefighting gear), equipment (special tools, fire trucks and ambulances), locations (firehouses, training academy), and, of course, personnel and their technical expertise. “We review each request and make every effort to assist in the production, while ensuring that there's no interruption in the day-to-day work schedule of our personnel,” said Gribbon. “My colleague Jim Long has been the FDNY's primary liaison to the industry and currently handles all film and TV requests.”

The first major productions Gribbon managed were documentaries that were taped or underway at the time of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks. Producers of a planned TV series called “The Bravest” spent months with several of the department’s specially-trained rescue companies. “Numerous firefighters who were interviewed subsequently died on 9/11, and some of their comments were foreboding - even haunting,” remembered Gribbon. “While I had serious doubts concerning the appropriateness of airing it after the tragedy, the producers, to their credit, altered their plan and - with the support of the families of those who died - created instead a tribute to these heroes.”

Gribbon also remembered a major documentary that was in progress at that time, that of French filmmakers Jules and Gideon Naudet, who witnessed and captured on video the terrorist attacks. Their work, which included extensive footage inside the WTC buildings both before and after the building collapses, ultimately became a two hour CBS special that aired on the first anniversary of the attack in 2002.

“For those of us in the FDNY who have worked closely with members of the film and television industry, it is both interesting and enjoyable to participate in the planning and creative process that brings the world of firefighting and the lives of those who belong to this noble profession to the screen,” he said.